Device for launching life-boats.



No. 663,348. Patented Dec. 4, i900.

w. J. KENNEDY. DEVICE FOR LAUNCHING LIFE BOATS.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1 900.)

(No Model.)

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No. 663,348. Patented Dec. 4, I900. W. J. KENNEDY.

DEVICE FOR LAUNGHING LIFE BOATS.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1900.)

2 Sheets$heat 2.

(N0 Model.)

INVENTOR WITNESSES Xfl FFICEQ ENT "WILLIAM JOHN KENNEDY, OE JERSEY CITY, NEIY JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF FIVE-SIXTHS TO HENRY BRINKMAN, JAMES B. MORSE, JAMES THOM- SON, AND WILLIAM HEAVEY, OF SAME PLACE, AND JAMES CARNEGIE,

OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR LAUNCHING LIFE-BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,348, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed February 8, 1900. Serial No. 4,558. (No model-l T0 (L61: whom, it may concern-s Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHN KEN- NEDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Device for Launching Life-Boats, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for launching life-boats from vessels, and has for its objects, first, to provide more perfect means to get the boats into the water quickly in case of accident; second, to insure that both ends of the boat shall be lowered equally; third, to provide means for quickly detaching the boat when in the water, and, fourth, to provide simple devices for holding the life-boats in their supports on board the vessel in such a way that they may be quickly released, a further object being to provide a launching device by means of which several boats may be launched from the same point and with the people in the'boats. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the launching-crane and of the detaching apparatus mounted in the life-boat, the life-boat being in section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the launching-crane and apparatus for operating the same. Fig. 3 is a view of the opposite end of the crane and of the apparatus for lowering the boats, and Figs. 4c and 5 are views of the grip or holding device.

In the accompanying drawings the same numerals of reference refer to like parts in each of the views, and in the practice of my invention I provide two standards or brackets 1, which are mounted upon the deck of the ship, and in the top of each on a short shaft I mount a toothed quadrant or segmental gear 2, on each of which is mounted a derrick 3, and in the outer end of the derricks a beam I is trunnioned, which, with the stays of the derricks, serves to steady the derricks and makes a very stable crane, the parts being proportioned. in size and so disposed that a life-boat may pass freely between the derricks in the act of being launched. I also mount in the brackets l a shaft 8, on which are two shown, and on one end of the shaft 8, outside of the bracket 1, I mount a gear 7, which is operated by a worm-gear 6, operated by a crank 9, the outer end of which is preferably supported by a standard 33, and as the pinions 5 are secured to the shaft 8 and are in mesh with the said quadrants the derricks will be operated in unison by turning the crank 9, as will be readily understood, and as the beam is free to rotate it will always maintain a vertical position.

In the rear of the shaft 8 I mount a second shaft 13, on which two drums 12 are mounted,

and at the end of the shaft 13 opposite to the end of the shaft 8 on which the gear 7 is mounted I mount a gear 15, which is in mesh with a worm-gear let, operated by a crank 16, the outer end of which is preferably supported by a standard 34:, so that the drums are rotated in unison by turning the crank 16. It is also evident that by reason of this 'construction both the crane and lowering dev'nce maybe operated simultaneously, so that when the life-boat is swung over the side of the vessel the boat can be lowered by continuing to operate the crane and also by operating the lowering device, thus greatly expediting the launching of the life-boat, or vice versa. In order to keep the lowering-ropes 11 free from being fouled by the life-boat in passing between the derricks, I mount two grooved wheels 10 on the inner side of each of the brackets 1, one of which will sustain the rope 11 when the crane is swung out over the side of the ship and the other will sustain the said rope when the derrick is swung in to pick a life-boat from the deck. At the outer end of the derricks I mount sheaves 25 and 27, and on the beam I mount two more sheaves 26 and 28, and the ropes 11, passing over the said wheels 10 and through the said sheaves, is held out of the way of the life-boat, as will be clearly seen.

In each life-boat is mounted a detaching apparatus comprising uprights 17, having jaws 18, in which operate pins 19, moved by levers 20, connected by connecting-rods 21 with a lever 22, which may be operated in any desired manner, but preferably by the lever 23, and in the end of each rope 11 is a ring which the pins 19 engage and from which they are disengaged by the operation of the lever 22 through the intervening parts when the life-boat is water-born, and I also provide means to prevent the withdrawal of the pins 19 from one arm of each of the jaws, consisting of a pin mounted in an aperture in the arm and extending into a longitudinal groove in the pin 19, as clearly shown in the drawings; but it is evident that the movement of the levers 20 could be easily limited in other ways, thereby preventing the withdrawal of the pins 19 from both arms of the aws.

The operation Will be readily understood. The boats are picked up from the chocks either directly between the brackets or in the rear thereof and are lifted free from the sides of the boat and are lowered into the water, as previously described, and in a horizontal position, so that the boat may be filled with passengers and there will be no danger of upsetting the same. By this apparatus the boats can be launched free of the largest ships, even though there be a considerable list to the opposite side. In order to further facilitate the handling of the boats, I use the holding device or grip shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5 to hold the boats in the chocks, so that they can be readily released therefrom, and the grip consists of a hook 29 and lever 30, mounted in the lower end thereof and provided with a cam 31, having a groove on one edge thereof and the opposite edge cut away to form an inclined plane, as clearly shown in the drawings, and in operation the ring in the end of the rope 32 is held in the said groove when the hook is engaging the boat; but when it is desired to release the boat the lever is turned so as to bring the inclined face of the cam up, when the ring will slip 0E, as shown in Fig. 5, and the boat will be free.

The entire apparatus is simple in construction, costs comparatively little to manufacture, does not take any more room on board the ship than the davits now in use, and will not get out of repair easily. As the crane can be swung back on the deck to pick a boat from the chocks at a distance from the brackets equal to the length of the derricks, a larger number of boats can be handled with it than with any davits now in use, so that in case of disaster if the boats on one side of the ship cannot be reached enough boats could be carried on the opposite side to rescue all the passengers.

The apparatus for operating the crane and also the lowering device is important not only because of its construction, but also in the location thereof. Asa worm-gear is used in both instances, neither the crane nor the lowering mechanism will be operated by the lurching of the ship and can be operated only by turning the respective cranks. Further, .as

seams both Worm-gears and cranks are placed outside of the brackets there is nothing to pre vent the free movement of the boats in being launched from any of the chocks. Neither is the operating apparatus in the way of the storage of the boats on the ship, and the disposition of the rope guides and sheaves is also an important feature of the construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to sec u re by Letters Patent, is

1. In a life-boat-launching device, the combination of two derricks mounted on segmental gears, a beam connecting the outer ends of said derricks,a shaft mounted in the brackets carrying the derricks, pinions secured to said shaft, and in mesh with said segmental gears,meaus for rotating said shaft, and a lowering device comprising a second shaft carrying fixed drums, ropes leading from said drums through guide-wheels on the brackets and sheaves on the derricks and beam, and means for operating said second shaft independently of said first shaft, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a life-boat-launching device, the combination of two derricks mounted on segmental gears, a beam trunnioned in the outer end of said derricks and connecting the same, a shaft mounted in the brackets carrying the derricks, pinions secured to said shaft, and in mesh with said segmental gears, means for rotating said shaft, and a lowering device comprising a second shaft carrying fixed dru ms,ropes leading from said drums through guide-wheels on' the brackets and sheaves on the derricks and beam, and means for operating said second shaft independently of said first shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a life-boat-launching device, two derricks mounted on segmental gears, a beam trunnioned in the outer end of said derricks and connecting the same, a shaft mounted in the brackets supporting said gears and having one end extending through the corresponding bracket, a gear mounted on said extended end, a worm-gear in mesh therewith, a crank to operate said worm-gear, pinions fixed on said shaft, and in mesh with said segmental gears, a second shaft mounted in the rear of said first shaft, drums fixed on said second shaft, a gear mounted on one end of said second shaft, a worm-gear in mesh therewith, and a crank to operate said wormgear, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a life-boat-launching device, a swinging crane proportioned in size to permit alifeboat to pass therethrough, a shaft mounted on the ship, and carrying drums, ropes passing from said drums through sheaves on said crane, rings mounted in the ends of said ropes, and a tripping device mounted within the lifeboat, comprising a lever 22, with means for operating the same, connecting-rods 21, a standard mounted at each end of the life-boat LII and having jaws at the end thereof, a sliding pin mounted in each of said jaws, levers connected with said pins, said rods 21 being con nected respectively with said last-named levers, and means to prevent the Withdrawal of the said pins from one arm of each of said jaws, the rings in the ends of said ropes being held within the said jaws by the said pins when the boat is being raised or lowered, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination with a life-boat-lannching device,a clamping device comprising hook 29, lever 30, cam 31 on one end'of said lever and having one edge'grooved, and the other cut away to form an inclined plane, and a rope 32, and ring at the free end thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a lifeboat-launching device, the combination of two derricks mounted on segmental gears, a beam trunnioned in the outer end of said derricks and connecting the same, a shaftmounted in the brackets carrying the derricks and having one end extending through the corresponding bracket, pinions on said shaft and in mesh with said segmental gears, a gear on the said extended end of said shaft, a worm-gear in mesh therewith, a crank for operating said worm-gear; and a lowering device comprising a second shaft carrying fixed drums, ropes leading from said drums through guide-wheels on the brackets, and through sheaves on the derricks and beam, a gear on one end of said second shaft,a wormgear in mesh therewith, and a crank for operating said last-named worm-gear, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

-WILLIAM JOHN KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

H. BRINKMAN, JAMES B. MORSE. 

